Jewish Museum of New Jersey facts for kids
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Ahavas Sholom
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The Ahavas Sholom building in 2014, home to the Jewish Museum of New Jersey.
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 Location in Essex County, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Location | 145 Broadway Newark, New Jersey |
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| Area | 0.1 acres (0.040 ha) |
| Built | 1923 |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 00001530 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | December 13, 2000 |
The Jewish Museum of New Jersey is a museum located inside a historic building called Ahavas Sholom in Newark, New Jersey. The building is special because it is the oldest synagogue (a Jewish house of worship) that has been continuously used in the city.
The museum was founded in 2003 and officially opened in 2007. It shares its space with the Ahavas Sholom congregation, which has been there for many years.
Contents
History of the Building
The Ahavas Sholom synagogue was built in 1923. Its design is in a style called Classical Revival, which was inspired by ancient Greek and Roman architecture.
Because of its importance to art, religion, and the community's history, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 13, 2000. This is a list of places in the United States that are considered important to preserve.
At one time, Newark had a large Jewish community of 70,000 people, making it the sixth-largest in the country. There were fifty different synagogues in the city, and Ahavas Sholom is a reminder of that history.
The Famous Holy Ark
Inside the synagogue, visitors to the museum can see a beautiful, hand-carved wooden cabinet called an Aron Kodesh. In Hebrew, this means "Holy Ark," and it is used to hold the Torah scrolls, which are the most sacred texts in Judaism.
This Aron Kodesh is the oldest one in all of New Jersey. It was built in the 1870s for a synagogue in New York City. When that synagogue moved, the ark was brought to Newark and installed in the Ahavas Sholom building in the 1920s.
The Museum's Mission
The Jewish Museum of New Jersey tells the story of the state's Jewish community, which has roots going back to the 1600s. New Jersey has the fourth-largest Jewish population in the United States.
How the Museum Started
The idea for the museum came from its founder, Joseph Selzer. He visited the Jewish Museum of Florida, which is also located in a historic synagogue. Mr. Selzer realized that even though New Jersey had a large and historic Jewish population, there was no museum dedicated to preserving its history.
He helped create the museum to be a central place for people to learn about the more than 400 years of Jewish history in New Jersey.
What You Can See
The museum creates exhibits that change over time. Some of these exhibits even travel to other locations. They use photographs, paintings, historical objects, and videos to tell stories about different topics, such as:
- Local Holocaust survivors
- The history of Jewish immigration to New Jersey
- The history of Sephardic Jews (Jews from Spain and Portugal) in the state
The museum is open for special programs and exhibits, and visitors can also make an appointment to see it.
See also
